Verse and Worse

By Robin Salter

This book of poetry will appeal to those who can see life from a different perspective; for example, the author’s poem on Trousers, reflecting a different view of these everyday garments. His writing is both innovative and sometimes intense whilst also being humorous, such as Knickers and Bras and It’s the Dog that gets the Blame. His writing can also be political and controversial like his poem Black is White and can contain clear messages for political leaders.

The author’s insight into the lives of different people, as shown in Actors and Disability, shows a refreshing and informative view of life. His love of the countryside is clearly demonstrated in Beauty of the Countryside and in other poems. His writing is more punchy than mellifluous, reflecting his unique style of composition.

This collection of poetry is a worthy addition to the genre.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398480582

Robin Salter

The author married in 1959 and has a daughter, two sons and two grandsons. He attended the John Lyon School, Harrow and won many cups for running. His dyslexia went unrecognised although, unusually, his best subject was English Grammar. His main interests are history, art, gardening and writing poetry. He served his national service as a radar operator in the Royal Air Force after which he joined a company of East India Merchants. He studied at the City of London College and became a chartered secretary. A keen volunteer, he was elected vice-chairman of the British Dyslexia Association in 1977. In 1987 he and his wife were founder members of the European Dyslexia Association formed in Brussels, of which he became president from 1993 to 1999. He has published reports on dyslexia and is a joint editor of The International Book of Dyslexia.

Book preview

Verse and Worse

Robin Salter

Austin Macauley Publishers

Verse and Worse

About the Author

Dedication

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgements

Various

Actors

Adoption

Aging

Arthritis

Back Marker

Beauty of the Countryside

Bees and Fleas

Bedford

Changing Colour

Cheese

D Versus C

Dad’s Little Helper

Florence & Zebedee

Hubble

In Canterbury Cathedral

Jack and Jill

La Plage

Love Found

Mathematicians

Mirror

Music and Poetry

Musician

My Little Girl

Nelly

Over the Wall

Recipe for Life

Routine

Talking to Myself

Thanks To Anne-Marie

The Beetle and The Butterfly

The Engineer

The Garden

The Lady Snooker Referee

The Lantern Tree

The Pupil of Your Eye

The River Great Ouse

The Secretary

The Shipwreck

The Tolerance of Age

There’s Nothing Quite Like It

Town and Country

Venus At Night

When an Old Man Dreams

2020

Thoughtful

Black Is White

Butterfly and Beetle

Child Carer

Coronavirus (or Covid-19)

Disability

Getting Older by The Day

Goodbye

Homo Sapiens

It’s Not a Toy

Ebb & Flow

Forebears

Life’s Chance

Looking North or East

Marriage

Migrants and Refugees

Monkey Love

My Life

Nectar, For Everyone

Other Worlds

Pass It On

Refugees

Religion

Senior Citizen

The Futility of War

The Windows of Your Eyes

The Ying And Yang of Life

Time

Water

Two Loves

White Versus Black

Wise Bird

Wonder in The Countryside

Your Legacy

Emotional

Ballad of Dreams

Dear Valentine

Jennifer

Margaret

My Christmas Poem

Sudden Death

The Pebble

Uncle Vic

Wedding Anniversary

Nonsense

A Midnight Feast

A Mystery

Biddenham Biddies

It’s the Dog That Gets The Blame

Knickers & Bras

Midnight Delight

Pills

Sitting Pretty

The Nak

The Puzzle

Trousers

Short Rhymes

A Tourist’s View

A Wee Tartan Lassie

Curiosity

Fun

Jackdaw

My Curse

Only the Good Die Young

Round the Bend

Sex Over Loyalty

The Hat

About the Author

The author married in 1959 and has a daughter, two sons and two grandsons. He attended the John Lyon School, Harrow and won many cups for running. His dyslexia went unrecognised although, unusually, his best subject was English Grammar. His main interests are history, art, gardening and writing poetry.

He served his national service as a radar operator in the Royal Air Force after which he joined a company of East India Merchants. He studied at the City of London College and became a chartered secretary. A keen volunteer, he was elected vice-chairman of the British Dyslexia Association in 1977. In 1987 he and his wife were founder members of the European Dyslexia Association formed in Brussels, of which he became president from 1993 to 1999.

He has published reports on dyslexia and is a joint editor of The International Book of Dyslexia.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to Jennifer, my wife

Copyright Information ©

Robin Salter 2023

The right of Robin Salter to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398480575 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398480582 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgements

My grateful thanks are due to Marta Chamorro Portillo for her computer skills in bringing this book to fruition. I thank Fiona Cartwright for her encouragement to publish these verses and, of course, to my publisher for bringing it all together.

Various

Actors

He was just only a small lad

But fun was always in his blood

He liked to make us cry and laugh

So, his life was now set on a path.

His teenage chums liked him

For brightening their lives;

He had a joke, a pun or two.

His enemies were few.

As he grew older by the day,

His popularity did grow.

He made his mark on a chat show

Then TV and the Radio.

And then one day, the big break came,

Putting rivals to their shame.

He’d been asked to join a Panel game,

He was successful, all the same.

As time went by his acting grew,

He was well-known for Shakespeare,

And yet his fun would always out,

Often, he was asked to just appear.

He was a household ‘name’ by now

On TV, Radio, Theatres, everywhere;

He toured the country and abroad,

A lifestyle now he could afford.

The ‘World his Oyster’, as is said,

He gained in wealth, as was his due,

And many claimed his friendship,

Though his real friends were few.

His popularity became a need,

As